Rotary Club of Brookhaven Raises $85,000 for SHARE Initiative

The Rotary Club of Brookhaven announced that it has raised more than $85,000 in cash and in-kind donations at its Inaugural Service Above Self Invitational, which was held on Monday, May 23, 2011 at Cherokee Country Club. Magellan Health Services led the fundraising efforts as the General Level sponsor of the charity golf tournament and net proceeds will benefit Shepherd Center’s SHARE Initiative (Shaping Hope And Recovery Excellence), which cares for military servicemen and women with mild traumatic brain injury.

“The men and women who serve in our military make many sacrifices and put themselves in harms way each time they put on a uniform,” said Rotary Club of Brookhaven President Stan Kaminski. “The Rotary Club of Brookhaven is proud to have partnered with Shepherd Center and sincerely thanks each of our sponsors, golfers and members of our club who worked so hard to make this tournament a huge success.”

“With mild traumatic brain injury being the signature injury from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Shepherd Center has boldly stepped forward as a civilian partner to care for this patient population,” said Shepherd Center’s Medical Director, Donald P. Leslie, MD. “Philanthropy plays a big role allowing us to deliver the care needed in the transition back to active duty or to civilian life. We are extremely grateful for Brookhaven Rotary’s leadership in building awareness and support for this initiative.”

In addition to Magellan Health Services, major level tournament sponsors included Choate Construction, Cunningham Associates Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., Mingledorff’s Distributors/Carrier and UBS Financial Services. The club plans on hosting the tournament again in May 2012. For more information, visit www.sasinvitational.org.

Special guests at the tournament included Billie and Bernie Marcus along with Lieutenant Colonel Brent Cummings, who is stationed at Fort Benning, Ga. They were joined by former NFL and University of Georgia football player and radio personality David Pollack, and NFL Receiver and former Atlanta Falcon Brian Finneran, along with a host of golfers.

ABOUT THE SHARE INITIATIVE AT SHEPHERD CENTER

Shepherd Center’s SHARE Initiative, which began in 2008, provides rehabilitation care for members of the military who have sustained spinal cord injuries (SCI) or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. It also assists, supports and educates members of the military and their families as they return to their homes and communities so they can achieve the highest levels of independence and quality of life.

ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF BROOKHAVEN AND ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

The Brookhaven chapter of Rotary International was founded in 1989 and consists of 30 members. The Brookhaven chapter meets each week on Wednesdays at Capital City Club in Brookhaven and is dedicated to serving the community through a variety of projects. For more information about the Brookhaven chapter, visit http://www.brookhavenrotary.org. The mission of Rotary International, a worldwide association of Rotary clubs, is to provide service to others, to promote high ethical standards and to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through its fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.

About Shepherd Center

Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions. Founded in 1975, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation. In its more than four decades, Shepherd Center has grown from a six-bed rehabilitation unit to a world-renowned, 152-bed hospital that treats more than 935 inpatients, 541 day program patients and more than 7,300 outpatients each year.